In a sudden change of weather, the national capital witnessed a massive dust storm and thunderstorm on Sunday, May 10. The dust storm was followed by rain which brought down the temperature in the city.  

Light rainfall and dust storm in the national capital and neighbouring regions brought much-needed relief from the sweltering heat, with weather predictions emphasising that this condition is likely to stay for a few more days and will delay the onset of the heatwave.

dust storm
Dust storm. Representational image.

Besides this, Delhi's Air Quality Index is in the moderate category and due to isolated rainfall and gusty winds, it will improve during the day.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research, air quality stood in the moderate range at 104 micrograms per cubic. 

 Watch video:

Netizens based out of Delhi shared pictures and videos of the dust storm and were taken aback by the weather change as the national capital was experiencing scorching heat over the past week. 

'The activity is due to a western disturbance'

Kuldeep Srivastava, Head of IMD's North-West Meteorological Centre said, "The activity is due to western disturbance. It has resulted in dust storms, thunderstorms and light rainfall. The wind speed is currently 60 km per hour."

This weather condition will persist for one or two hours and then move towards west and east Uttar Pradesh. "Temperature will drop and will be around 35 degrees celsius."

Mahesh Palawat, Vice president Meteorology and climate Change at Skymet Weather also echoed similar predictions.

He said that there is a western disturbance and cyclone circulation over Punjab and Haryana, that is why it rained heavily in Punjab, north-Haryana and north-west Uttar Pradesh -- Meerut, Saharanpur and Moradabad.

Palawat, however, emphasized that the weather condition will persist till May 14. "Till then, there will be short spells and some activity. Due to this condition, the temperature may drop by 2-3 degrees. It will be around 38-39 degrees. Heatwave will not come before May 15," he added.

Heavy thunderstorms in several parts of Punjab

Heavy thundershowers accompanied high-velocity winds lashed Chandigarh and several areas of Punjab on Sunday morning, plummeting the mercury by several notches. It was almost a 'night-like' morning at around 8 am as dense clouds blanketed the city. The city saw lightning flashes and roaring thunders.

There were reports of a light shower with gusty winds at several parts of Punjab, including Moga, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Ropar, Tarn Taran, Nawanshahr, Sangrur and Hoshiarpur. The local weather office predicted more spells of rain and thundershowers in the region till Tuesday.

Also Read